STONE
It is surprising how primitive the technique of carving the stones is even today. Most sculptors use chisels of different shapes and sizes, manual and powered, a stone hammer, and files. At the end the stone is polished with sandpaper of different grits. I love the whole process, it gives me energy.
I made 4 works in alabaster. I would love to try some other stones but many are very hard to work with.
My main challenge in carving stone, apart of course from the lack of craftsmanship skills, is my way of working in general. I normally have a very vague idea of what the final result should look like regardless of the medium. I don’t make detailed sketches or maquettes. I pretty much go with the flow of the process and the material. My belief is that no original idea of mine is any better than a misstep. And I like it this way. But when working in stone once one chisels away a chunk of it there is no way to bring it back. On the other hand, one can always take advantage of that unfortunate diversion :).
Stones are beautiful and the whole process is very rewarding.